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Prince William unveils the Finalists for the second annual Earthshot Prize Awards

Earthshot Prize 2022
The Earthshot Prize Finalists 2022

Today, Prince William and The Earthshot Prize revealed the 2022 Earthshot Prize Finalists – an accomplished group of entrepreneurs and innovators spearheading fifteen groundbreaking solutions to the biggest environmental challenges our planet faces.

The fifteen Finalists will be in the running to receive a £1 million award at the second-annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.

The Prize takes inspiration from President John F. Kennedy’s ‘Moonshot,’ which united millions of people around an organising goal to put man on the moon and catalysed the development of new technology in the 1960s.

Prince William said: “The innovators, leaders, and visionaries that make up our 2022 Earthshot Finalists prove there are many reasons to be optimistic about the future of our planet. They are directing their time, energy, and talent towards bold solutions with the power to not only solve our planet’s greatest environmental challenges, but to create healthier, more prosperous, and more sustainable communities for generations to come.”

“I am so excited to celebrate these fifteen Finalists and see the five Winners of The Earthshot Prize announced in Boston – the hometown of President John F. Kennedy, who shared The Earthshot Prize’s belief that seemingly impossible goals are within reach if we only harness the limitless power of innovation, human ingenuity, and urgent optimism.”

The Earthshot Prize is centred around five ‘Earthshots’ – simple, ambitious, and aspirational goals defining the world we wish to build for future generations. The 2022 Earthshot Prize Finalists are:

The Earthshot Prize to Protect and Restore Nature

  1. Desert Agricultural Transformation, China: A team developing cutting-edge agricultural breakthroughs to turn barren desert landscapes into lush, green ones.
  2. Hutan, Malaysia: An inspiring conservation model that protects orangutans, supports local jobs and livelihoods and restores forests to their former greatness.
  3. Kheyti, India: A pioneering solution for local smallholder farmers to reduce costs, increase yields and protect livelihoods in a country on the frontlines of climate change.

The Earthshot Prize to Clean Our Air

  1. The Ampd Enertainer, Hong Kong: An emission-free electric battery system to power construction and reduce pollution.
  2. Mukuru Clean Stoves, Kenya: A start-up providing cleaner-burning stoves to women in Kenya to reduce unhealthy indoor pollution and provide a safer way to cook.
  3. Roam, Kenya: An organisation building lower emission vehicles, making clean transportation accessible and affordable for urban cities on the African continent.

The Earthshot Prize to Revive Our Oceans

  1. The Great Bubble Barrier, Netherlands: Inventive and ingenious technique to intercept plastics before they reach oceans by creating a curtain of bubbles.
  2. Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia: An inspiring women-led programme that combines 60,000 years of indigenous knowledge with digital technologies to protect land and sea.
  3. SeaForester, Portugal: A truly cutting-edge breakthrough in seaweed farming that can restore the ocean’s forgotten forests.

The Earthshot Prize to Build A Waste-Free World

  1. City of Amsterdam Circular Economy, Netherlands: A city-wide initiative to establish a fully circular economy by 2050, wasting nothing and recycling everything.
  2. Fleather, India: An innovative and regenerative approach to creating leather out of floral waste.
  3. Notpla, United Kingdom: A circular solution creating an alternative to plastic packaging from seaweed.

The Earthshot Prize to Fix Our Climate

  1. LanzaTech, USA: A circular solution that recycles carbon waste into sustainable fuels and everyday products.
  2. Low Carbon Materials, United Kingdom: A new and innovative material that uses unrecyclable plastic waste to make traditional concrete blocks carbon zero.
  3. 44.01, Oman: Childhood friends who have developed an innovative technique to turn CO2 into rock, and permanently store it underground.

In addition to their eligibility for the £1 million prize, all Finalists will receive tailored support and resources from The Earthshot Prize Global Alliance Members, an unprecedented network of private sector businesses around the world committed to helping scale innovative climate and environmental solutions and multiplying their impact.

The five Winners will be selected by The Earthshot Prize Council, a diverse team of influential individuals committed to using their platforms to champion inspiring leadership and elevate urgent efforts to repair and regenerate the planet.

The Earthshot Prize Council Members include: HRH Prince William, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Cate Blanchett, Sir David Attenborough, Ernest Gibson, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Jack Ma, Shakira Mebarak, Yao Ming, Luisa Neubauer, Indra Nooyi, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and Naoko Yamazaki.

A truly global project, The Earthshot Prize convenes a diverse nominator coalition of more than 200 people and organisations around the world from every continent, a distinguished Expert Advisory Panel, and The Earthshot Prize Council comprising influential individuals committed to championing positive environmental action.

The fifteen Finalists were assessed by the Expert Advisory Panel of scientific, academic, and subject-matter leaders. Each of the Finalist’s solutions excelled in the rigorous screening process and were assessed on their potential to create game-changing impact around the world, and their ability to help us reach our Earthshot challenges while positively impacting people, communities, and the natural world.

The Earthshot Prize awards ceremony will take place on Friday, December 2 at the MGM Music Hall in Boston. It will air around the world on BBC in the UK, PBS in the United States and Multichoice across Africa. The show will also be available globally on YouTube. It will premiere on Sunday, December 4.

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